Lower flat - Depot Town Cottage available and Houseshare in Larger co-op home

Cottage is One block from the Side Track Restaurant and Depot Town, 1 1/2 blocks from the Ypsi Food Co-op. You'll feel like you're living 'on the square' from the lower 2 BR flat porch, where you can see the Side Track from your door. Scroll down for info on house share openings please!

Live on Maple street in Depot Town ~ the nicest of all - Quiet, peaceful, young couples, people walking their dogs, gaily painted historic houses on a lovely tree lined street with long time residents & homeowners as well as renters

Openings for this coming FALL ~ Depot Town Cottage, best location around ~ lower 2 BR flat. Cozy, sunny, part of Small gardening community in Ypsilanti MichiganIdeal for professional, grad student/couple, or anyone interested in organic gardening/sustainability, lowering your carbon footprint & in community. You will learn how to organically garden, compost, use vermiculture...etc. We are folks here wanting to offer a supportive context for one another in projects related to becoming more' sustainable' in our lifestyles (ie beekeeping, keeping chickens for eggs) and other community/work projects we may be involved in.

Cottage apartments are part of community that meets (at a minimum) monthly ~ for gardening work projects in the summer and potlucks, and garden planning meetings as well as learning/workshop sessions w/ potluck for conviviality in the winter. You must be open to making it a priority to set aside time for the full community get togethers, potlucks, or other activities together.

CO-OP HOUSE SHARE: Be part of a new household community, sharing organic gardening/sustainable living practices in an urban setting.

Join a welcoming community ~share/co-create an organic garden project together.

2 Ypsi houses share a garden area together -- with only two remaining openings currently - Depot Town Garden Cottage upper flat ~~~ or a bedroom in the the Historic So Side 1860 house.

For house share ~ Please note: We're non-smoking, we keep the house clean and share in the chores for the garden. We generally don't watch TV except the occasional movie. We are a small carbon footprint home, opening windows at night and closed during the heat of the day. We recycle everything we can and compost all organic waste for the garden. small room is $500+utilities share, larger room is $600 + utilities share, couples: add $300 for 2nd person + additional portion of utilities)

You: You love organic gardening, are an aspiring urban farmer or admirer of urban farming, enjoy both sharing the responsibility & process of working in one as well ..as eating the produce. You're resourceful, take initiative and aren't afraid of doing hard work like turning compost or digging up weeds, plants, building raised beds, or taking out the garbage/compost.

In fact you've been wanting to take the time, and wishing you had the opportunity, to do these sorts of things

~ you're the sort of adult who would take initiative to pick up branches in the yard and put them in the kindling pile (not decide that's your 'landlord's' problem), problem solve and fix a rain barrel that seems to not be working right, or to see helping plan and 'barn raise' a hoop-house as great stuff you're wanting to roll up your sleeves and do.

You're the sort who would absolutely know that in any situation you have everyday house chores to do, and you are used to doing them, ~~~~~ this of course along with the new "sustainability" chores like filling a wood box, emptying the fireplace ash, taking a turn with planting the garden, watering the garden, sharing in the weeding of the garden, turning compost....

There is also one remaining opening in the house as housemate for someone who is thinking long term for Ypsi, ~ who plans to be around and knows a sense of commitment to projects . ie if you're coming to the area to work as a pilot and simply want a "crash pad" - this is not the place for you! ; )

If you are an experience handyman/carpenter or have significant experience as a farmer/gardener where you qualify to do garden management, we may be willing to consider work to defray rent for work hours that would be beyond the normal community involvement.

Here's the garden - its at the Depot Town cottage where we're slowly turning lawn into garden:

We now have a rooftop beehive at the garden house which adjoins the upper flat porch~ so this is a group project all help with. And....... we aim to try to work things out eventually for a hoophouse for 4 season gardening.

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Out front of the house along the fence in Spring as you look across the street at our neighbors lovely historic brick home:

Summer gardenside grilling - this is back in Depot Town at the cottage where we have the garden:

winter gatherings are usually at the big house (where the current opening is) and this is a Thanksgiving gathering there in the dining room:

Ideal for mature nonsmoking person, interested in long term living situation, and organic gardening, sustainability, lowering your carbon footprint in small community context.

Desirable that you have some gardening experience and an interest in learning more about how to organically garden, compost, use vermiculture...etc. Looking for folks here wanting to offer a supportive context for one another in projects related to becoming more 'sustainable' in our lifestyles and other community/work projects we may be involved in (ie Sustainable Michigan, Transition Ypsilanti, permaculture) projects.

For the Houseshare room that is part of the community ~ You should be open to eating two dinners per week together, sharing household activities including weekly grocery shopping, buying primarily organic/local food, cooking, making decisions together at house meetings after dinner every few weeks. You're someone excited to live in a cooperative newly forming household, and work on building community together, you're willing to share main food staples and participate in a cooking rotation.

Nicely Furnished rooms available in house with lots of space; and window - you would be joining 3 other house members Ideal for mature, responsible professional person, or grad students interested in long term living situation with a group working on collaborative garden space shared between 2 Ypsi houses. Available now.

Housemates will have use of Guest room for occasional guests; dining room and all dishes etc for entertaining/welcoming friends; natural wood floors throughout, bath with clawfoot tub, yard with patio table,chairs, umbrella, living room fireplace, laundry. Organic Garden in Depot Town shared with both houses, sometimes along with winter fires, meals, community garden planning.

House has large kitchen, we conserve fuel by heating, as much as we can, with the wood fireplace in living room (now with insert to provide wood heat for house), DR, Den/computer rm, 2 full bathrms. Looking for sociable, responsible housemates. Share with housemates involved in projects, moveon.org/relocalize.net/postcarbon cities etc. have fun with others while working on gardening/relocalization; community. Map below shows it is less than a mile between the 2 houses (short bike ride)- co-op is situated between, cutting thru the park is prettier and faster ; ) "A"= house location with openings, "B" is Beezy's and "C" is the Co-op, "D" is Depot Town cottage and community gardens.

House may share garden, garden planning, sometimes meals with depot town cottage residents. : ), all interesting, collaborative . House also sometimes hosts discussion or film meetings for 'sustainable michigan' group which you would be welcome to attend.

10 minute hop on fwy to A2, short walk (3 blocks) to library, park, Dalat, Beezy's, plays at the RAC, Art Gallery, Clubs/Tap Room - a bit further to Depot Town, Side Track, co-op. Easy to meet people and make new friends. Good neighbors. Current openings are is for smaller furnished bedroom $500 +share of utilities, comfortably/attractively furnished room on the 2nd floor off sitting room, and larger upper bedroom $600 + share of utilities. House is 1860 furnished with many antiques. Dishwasher, disposal, Laundry facilities, high speed internet; . Great roomie provided: Mango the dog friendly cat ~ No more cat's possible at houseshare sorry!

Interested?

Please send an email about yourself:

1) Profession/passion

2) Why you want to live in a cooperative community and what does that mean to you?

3) Why you are leaving your current place?

4) What you would add to our cooperative (talents, skills, experience)

5) Say a bit about your past cooperative/gardening/workshare living experience

6) What you do in your free time, interests/hobbies/talents

7) Weeknights when you can interview

8) Phone #

9) Can you afford the rent? ~ have a stable work situation?

10) Do you understand that doing a garden together means you need to be around to put the garden in together and to nurture it along? Experience?

11) Do you like to cook, what do you like? omnivore, vegetarian, vegan?

The map below shows "D" - Depot Town cottage where our garden is, Route goes past food co-op @ .9 miles to the house in the historic south side "A" where the openings are. Or, you can cut thru Depot Town and go thru Riverside Park - a pretty walk between the houses and a 10 min. bike ride. It is less than a mile between the 2 houses (short bike ride)- co-op is situated between, cutting thru the park is prettier and faster ; ) "B" is Beezy's and "C" is the Co-op, "D" is Depot Town cottage and community gardens.